The Darkest Deluge
by UnnamedAgain
Summary: Cloud Strife wakes up one day, and the world is ending outside his window. As an artificially grown super soldier, he is part of his planet's last line of defence. But the wave of aliens doesn't have an end, and Cloud's world falls. There might be hope yet, for Cloud and the boy he saves. Beyond the gates to a different dimension, humanity is still fighting. (eventual CLC, SoRiku)
1. A world ends

Crouched atop the metal railing of a tall building's last remaining balcony, Cloud watched an alien chase down a family of three. The monster's black form moved fluidly, fast, but not as fast as Cloud knew an alien cold go. It was toying with its prey, apparently relishing their terror. The wispy end of its long tail curled and twisted, betraying excitement.

Cloud fought to unclench his jaw and pry his fingernails from the insides of his palms. If he bled, he wouldn't be able to grip his sword properly, and that would be the end of it. He could maybe take the one alien, but this area was full of the creatures. They must have found a sizeable group of survivors holed up somewhere.

Cloud forced his gaze away from the scene below as the alien sank its three rows of needle-like teeth into the woman's arm – the arm not occupied with a baby. Nothing he could do, except get himself killed and fed on, and that would be like aiding the enemy.

He stepped off the railing quietly and backed through the shattered door and into the building. He tried not to look at the body of his fallen comrade and left the apartment. Ground floor was dangerous, and the streets were a phenomenally bad idea, so Cloud made his way up the main staircase, to the roof. Buildings were packed tight in this part of the city. He should have minimal trouble travelling from rooftop to rooftop.

Once under the open sky – a mockingly ordinary blue, it was – Cloud set down his pack. His gun and all of the ammo had to go. Bullets were useless against the aliens. Not only were their bodies thin and streamlined, like some hellish versions of the cheetah's grace, but their skin was hard and slick. Bullets mostly slid off them, or went right through the gaps of their strange, skeletal anatomy.

The only effective way of fighting them seemed to be swords and blunt weapons. Crushing the protruding bones and cutting off limbs took a lot of work, but at least the aliens were killable.

Cloud repacked all of his supplies so that it would make minimal noise when he moved, strapped his sword to his back, and took off in the direction he thought was south. His unit was gone, the last line of defence lost. Cloud might as well move towards what was already destroyed, hide behind enemy lines until the conquest of his world was over and the aliens started paying more attention to what they left in their wake.

And once that happened, well. He would try to take a few of them with him.

* * *

He dug himself a hole in the rubble of a small house, filled it with as much dirt and rags as he could find in the vicinity, and settled in for the night. It was cold no matter how tightly he curled up, but lighting a fire would be suicide.

The cold northern wind was blowing strong. Soon, it would bring the rains. Cloud didn't worry about it too much. His supplies would last him about two weeks, if he found clean water. Otherwise he had less than a week before dehydration would make him useless.

He sighed and squirmed, folding his hands under his head. If he didn't find any water, he would just have to light a fire and wait for the aliens to come to him. Cloud would make sure his last stand was one to be remembered. Even if only the aliens were there to witness it.

Comforted by that thought, he let himself relax. He was right on the edge of sleep when his heightened soldier's senses picked up movement. Cloud could feel his body react to the mako-fuelled adrenaline surge. He kept his eyes closed, lest the glow betray his position, and listened.

A couple of aliens, as far as he could tell. They walked right over the outcropping of rubble under which Cloud lay. They were moving very quietly, hunting something. Cloud frowned. He moved one hand to press over a secure pocket in his vest. He had two pills left. He would rather not use any now, but if there were only two aliens around, and someone's life was on the line, he might.

Cloud waited for the aliens to move away before slipping from his hiding place. He strapped on his sword and followed the creatures, using every ounce of stealth he possessed.

* * *

Sora woke up fighting. He wasn't sure what he was fighting at first, but his hopes of facing fellow humans were dashed as the pipe fragment he always clutched in his sleep connected with something hard and made a dull sound. Aliens, then. A human bone would have cracked.

That was it, then. In total darkness, with no chance to find his bearings, Sora was not going to survive a single alien, and the creatures rarely moved alone. He gritted his teeth anyway, grabbed onto a slimy part of carapace, and swung the pipe towards the thing. Claws dug into his thigh and he screamed, hit harder. He pushed at the alien with his other hand, fighting to avoid its teeth.

Sora was exhausted and weakening with every second. Distantly, he was aware that there was no real point in fighting. Stopping was not something he could force his body to do, though.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound and a military flare landed to Sora's right, blinding him temporarily. The alien, the nocturnal creature that it was, was even more disoriented. Sora blinked furiously, desperate to see despite the bright lights dancing in his vision. He turned the pipe around in his hand so that its sharp end faced the alien, and stabbed. Blurry as his vision was, he only managed to jam the pipe into the crevice behind the alien's snapping jaws on the third try. Sora pushed the pipe sharply in a practised move. The alien made a clicking, growling sound, its movements became frantic as it attempted to back away. Sora brought his other hand around and with a strained grunt pulled most of his torso off the ground. His weight did the job. The alien's skull cracked, and a thick black substance started trickling down the pipe and onto Sora's hands.

The alien twitched and sunk to the ground, half onto Sora, who panicked. The flare went out. If there were more of the creatures around, he needed to get up fast. He pushed and squirmed, but his arms were numb, his whole body heavy with exhaustion. Sora heard the crunch of gravel right next to his ear and screwed his eyes shut, preparing for a very painful death.

"Let me help you with that," said a voice.

Sora's eyes snapped open. About six feet above him, a pair of glowing blue eyes met his shocked stare. The weight of the alien was lifted off him and to the side.

"Um," Sora said.

"Get up," said the voice, which was definitely male.

Before Sora could process the order, there was a firm hand pulling him up roughly.

"Are you bleeding?" asked the voice.

Sora shook his head, swayed on his feet a little. "Whoa. Uh, possibly?" From up close, the eyes looked impossibly bright. It kind of hurt to look at them. "You are a soldier, right? Where's the rest of your unit?"

"Dead."

Sora deflated, cursing inwardly. But one soldier was still better than none. "Oh, sorry to hear that. And thanks for the rescue."

"We'll talk later." The voice sounded irritated now. "Grab what you need and follow me."

"Oh, right. Um."

Sora dropped to the ground and pawed about for his bag. Then he tried to pull his pipe from the alien corpse, but it wouldn't budge. He looked to the blue eyes, which rolled heavenwards and Sora was pushed to the side. He watched as the soldier's dark silhouette dislodged the pipe with very little effort. He felt much better once he had the pipe back in his hand where it belonged.

"Is that it?" the soldier asked.

"Yep."

Sora was grabbed by the strap of his bag and pulled into a fast march. He stumbled, but caught himself.

"Hey!" he hissed, and was ignored. "Tell me your name at least."

"Cloud," was the clipped response.

"Right. I'm Sora. Nice to meet you."

Cloud said nothing, and remained silent for the rest of the night. They stopped by a heap of rubble. Cloud retrieved what looked like a military backpack from a body-sized hole, then walked off towards a crumbling building, one of the few still standing in the area. The aliens hadn't destroyed them. It had been the weapons deployed against them that caused the most damage to the surroundings. Sora remembered hiding in a basement on more than one occasion, listening to the explosions going on above and hoping to hell no bomb would fall on top of him.

The house Cloud chose was missing a whole wall and the roof. It looked about to collapse. Cloud managed to throw his bag over the edge of the second story floor, then pulled a series of parkour moves and got up there himself. It gave Sora some reassurance concerning the house's stability. He went inside and wandered about the ground floor until he found a staircase, like a normal person.

Cloud was leaning against a remaining bit of wall, cross-legged on the floor. A few tufts of his spiky hair stuck out over the edge of the wall. Cloud's eyes were closed, but Sora was mostly certain the man wasn't sleeping.

"I'm going to try and sleep," Sora said, not expecting a reply. He curled up in a corner and tried his best to get comfortable. Sleep just wouldn't come to him, though.

* * *

Cloud watched Sora's attempt at sleep from under hooded eyelids. He didn't like wasting the energy that the mako pill gave him, but moving at night with the boy in tow wasn't a safe idea. It didn't matter anyway. He doubted there were more people for him to save. The last pill he could save for whenever the aliens would get the better of him.

The sky turned grey with the dawn of a new day. With a series of soft grunts, Sora pulled himself onto all fours, then into a standing position. Cloud looked him over, searching for any damage he might have missed earlier.

"Hello," Sora said. "Huh. Your eyes are way less glowy now. Like, almost dull. Also very red."

Cloud shrugged. "That's normal."

"Hmm." Sora wandered over the the edge of the floor. He squinted. "Oh wow, it felt like we were walking for miles last night, but the aliens are right there. Three of them, holy shit. You sure are good at killing those things."

"You aren't bad at it, either. Though you could have avoided taking so much damage."

Sora looked down at himself. Searching hands soon followed his gaze. His shirt was torn and bloody, but as far as Cloud could tell, it wasn't serious.

"Damn. I need to get all these kitty scratches cleaned up."

Infection was a possibility, of course. Cloud shook his head. "We don't have enough water."

Sora sighed. "Yeah. Maybe it'll start raining soon..."

Cloud considered the boy. Sora wasn't much shorter than him, but he definitely was much more scrawny. He seemed energetic enough, though.

"How old are you, Sora?"

"Seventeen. You?"

Cloud contemplated not answering, but it was only fair. "Twenty-three." He looked up at the clear blue sky. It would be best if they moved away from the area, but he didn't think Sora was up to a ten kilometre run, so they would have to wait.

"Do you want to stay here today?" Sora asked. The boy was strangely acute.

"Yes. A patrol of aliens should show up soon, confirm the others' death. We can either stay put or start running now and not stop until I think we're safe."

"Oh. Um. I think I prefer the first option."

Cloud nodded tiredly. "I'm going to rest. You don't need to worry about waking me up if something happens."

"'Kay."

Cloud closed his eyes and focused most of his attention on his breathing. Slowly, he let himself sink into a meditative state, relaxing his body but keeping his senses alert.

* * *

From atop the bared roof beams of a nearby, taller house, two figures watched as Sora got busy cleaning his cuts with a tiny slip of fabric and spit.

Yuffie made a face. "Can we stop watching now?"

Leon shook his head. "You heard the older one. More Dark Ones should appear soon."

"I guess these two are more entertaining than rubble and ruins," Yuffie said, and sighed. "I don't like staying around people if we can't help." It wasn't fair. These two had so much fight left in them. They didn't deserve to die.

Leon stared on ahead, expression blank. "Follow the rules, Yuffie."

"I know. I will. It's not easy, though."

"Nothing is easy any more." A hint of a smile appeared on Leon's face. "And maybe it never had been."

* * *

I'm doing another project for NaNo, and will be able to come back to this one sometime in December. I really want to finish it, because Cloud and Leon are my first OTP and Kingdom Hearts is my first fandom, so there will be updates. Just not very soon.


	2. Blackout

Cloud felt more than heard their approach. He was suddenly very awake, and he just knew it wasn't a false alarm. He allowed himself to tense up gradually, keeping his breathing steady. Now was not the time for an adrenaline surge. He might need it later.

He glanced at Sora, who was still cleaning up his cuts busily with an expression of pained annoyance.

"Sora, get over here and lay down by the wall."

Sora's eyes widened, but he did as he was told. "What now?"

"Just breathe. Try not to think about it."

Sora fidgeted. "Can I go get my pipe?"

"Yeah, just don't make too much noise." The aliens weren't very close yet. Once Sora was back by the wall with his pipe in hand, Cloud closed his eyes again. "No more talking."

"Gotcha."

They waited. Cloud felt himself grow more tense with every soft footstep his hearing could register. The aliens weren't being quiet at all, and they came in number. At least half a dozen, Cloud judged. He let his fingertips touch the sword laying on the ground along his right thigh. Six was too much. He had one mako pill, a sword and a teenager. With another soldier at his back, his chances would have been pretty good. Sora, though capable, was just a boy with a rusty pipe.

The pill was also problematic. If Cloud took it so soon after his last mako high, it would not only be much less effective than usually, it might incapacitate him. He didn't want to risk it. If the aliens found them, he and Sora had no chance of survival, so Cloud wouldn't have to protect himself during the fight. He could do quite a bit of damage without the pill that way.

He listened as the aliens drew closer, now almost certain that there were six of them. They paced around the bodies at first, then spread out into the surrounding ruins. They conversed in their clicking, hissing tongue. Cloud recognised some sounds, but the main thing to pay attention to was the pitch: the lower it went, the angrier an alien was. And these six were growling so lowly that Cloud registered the vibrations more than the sounds.

It had to be personal then.

Cloud opened his eyes and met Sora's frightened gaze. He gave the boy a thin smile, and was surprised at the understanding that filled Sora's expression. Sora's eyes slid shut, his brows came together in pained frown. When he opened his eyes again they were a bit wetter, but determined. Cloud smiled wider. He allowed himself to feel the excitement that came before a fight, let the adrenaline rush through his veins as his heartbeat sped up.

This was it, then. These were his last moments, and he felt lighter, almost happy. No more worrying about anything, no more constant tension. Just this last bit of effort before he could finally rest.

The atmosphere shifted suddenly, and Cloud knew they had been discovered. He gripped his sword and let years of training and battle take over. He lunged forward just as one of the aliens landed in front of him on its dainty little feet. Cloud put the momentum behind his roll into the swing and brought his sword right through the creature's shoulder and back, almost decapitating it. He landed in a crouch, and straightened, pushing a foot against the newly dead alien's head to dislodge his sword.

Low growling and clicking filled the air, ringing in Cloud's ears and producing an instant headache. He ignored it. The next alien lunged at him from the balcony of another building. Cloud simply let himself fall back and collide with the wall, holding his sword ready. The furious creature impaled itself, but it wasn't enough to kill it. Cloud hissed as clawed fingers dug into his shoulder and side, and put all of his upper body strength into hauling the alien up. He pushed with his legs, swung his arms above his head and let the alien slide of his sword and fly over the wall.

The move left him wide open. Cloud watched the open jaws of the next alien speed towards him, fully aware he wouldn't be able to bring his sword back down on time. Then there was a sound like prying open a lobster's carapace as Sora collided with the alien from the side. They fell to Cloud's left, but he didn't have time to pay attention. The next alien came at him, more carefully than its predecessors. It watched Cloud carefully with its narrow, reddish eyes. Cloud could see the intelligence behind that gaze. His arms were heavy and numb as he lifted his sword into a proper guard. The deep scratches on his shoulder and along the right side of his ribcage pulsed with pain. Not much longer, Cloud reminded himself.

He couldn't wait for the alien's next move, there were two more to worry about. So he bent his knees and swung, barely catching the alien across its front legs. It hissed and backed away. Cloud let the force of the swing carry him to the right, slid his left foot forward, and brought the sword down over his right shoulder, nicking the alien once again. He kept swinging until he backed it against the edge of the floor. When its back foot found empty space instead of purchase, it faltered for just a fraction of a second. It was enough for Cloud to split its skull with his sword.

The next thing he knew, something collided into his back. Claws dug into his skin, catching on his ribs, and he was dragged backwards. He heard Sora yell his name, but couldn't tell if it was a cry for help or not. He concentrated on keeping his feet under him and not dropping his sword. The last alien appeared in front of him, hissing and displaying the inky depths of its maw. Cloud had no way to get enough momentum for anything more than a pathetic tap with his sword, so he didn't even try. He shifted his grip instead and took a blind stab at the alien behind him. It released him, taking some of the flesh and skin from his back with it. The sword slid off the alien's carapace and stopped at the floor, giving Cloud enough purchase to kick at the alien in front of him as it lounged. He caught it in the side of the face and it rolled to the side.

Exhausted, Cloud kept his grip on his sword, though he didn't think he had enough strength left to dislodge it from the floor. Something warm and definitely human collided into his back, causing him a world of pain. Sora pressed himself close, panting. There were only two aliens left circling them, so the boy must have dealt with the one he jumped at earlier.

Through sheer force of will, Cloud managed to dislodge his sword and hold it above ground with one hand. He swung it lightly from side to side in a distracting manner. He used his other hand to retrieve the pill, though his numb fingers weren't cooperating. He was dead either way with the amount of blood pouring from his back. But if Sora wasn't too badly damaged and they took care of the two remaining aliens, the boy stood a chance of surviving.

The alien in front of him bent its legs, readying to lunge, and Cloud knew he wouldn't get the pill out in time. He gripped his sword with both hands instead, resolved to stand his ground and serve as a shield between Sora and the creature. He watched as it pushed itself off the floor with grace and precision. It didn't go straight at him but twisted to the side, faster than Cloud could react, and lunged towards his throat.

Time seemed to slow. Cloud wanted to close his eyes but his eyelids wouldn't move fast enough, and so he watched death approach in the form of three rows of black, needle-like teeth.

Then there was a flash of blue light and the creature was thrown to the side by an invisible force. The blast was strong enough that Cloud stumbled a step back, barely managed to drop into a crouch instead of falling onto his ass. Another flash, this time behind him, and the second blast threw him onto his knees. He didn't let go of the sword, struggling to take in the scene in front of him.

The alien that had been about to kill him lay crumpled by the wall, and a man in a fur-collared jacket stepped in front of Cloud. He put one booted foot down onto the sword. Cloud growled and looked up. The man's face was so clean it was out of place, marred only by a long diagonal scar. He was young, fit, and bearing no signs of the war going on around them.

"Relax," said the man calmly. "I'm helping you."

"What the fuck, Leon?" demanded another, female voice from somewhere outside Cloud's line of vision. "I thought you said not to break the rules!"

"I told you not to break them, yes," the man, Leon, replied. "I didn't say I wouldn't."

"Oh, ha ha, very clever. What do you intend to do now? End his misery or let him bleed to death?"

"Take him with us."

"What?! Are you crazy?"

Leon stared straight at Cloud, never changing his blank expression, but Cloud was pretty sure he could see a maniacal glint in the man's dark eyes. "Maybe I am. I _want_ him."

"What?" The other voice wavered. "But. I'm your partner."

"No, you're not."

"I am! I was going to get the procedure done in three days!" The female voice was filled with anger.

Leon sighed. "Yuffie, not now. Get the gate open before he dies of blood loss."

Cloud watched Leon until his eyes slid shut of their own accord. He couldn't feel the pain any more. Not that it mattered.

"What about the other one?" said the other voice, as if from afar.

"I don't care. Take him if you want," Leon said.

"He'll die if I don't."

"Correct."

"We're breaking all the rules anyway."

"True."

"All right then."

Cloud felt a hand land on his shoulder. It was the injured one, and his nerve endings flared back to life to bring him a wave of nauseating pain. So he took the best possible course of action and lost consciousness.


	3. Combatants

Sora regained consciousness gradually. He fought the murky depths of unconsciousness, motivated by confusion. He was pretty sure he should be dead.

His memories were fuzzy. He remembered the fight, seeing Cloud paint the floor with his own blood. Then a man had appeared, with a sword at his hip that he didn't even touch, and hands surrounded by a blue glow. There had been a flash, a sudden chill – and now Sora was here. He blinked, and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

He was lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by white curtains. Or at least Sora guessed they were white. The light in the room was tinted red. Sora frowned. He didn't recall a hospital being anywhere near the area, much less one that wasn't a crumbling ruin.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," said a cheerful voice.

Sora's eyes snapped to his left as the curtain was pulled aside, and he was greeted by the sight of a grinning girl. Her face was so close to his that their noses almost touched.

"Meep," Sora said, and attempted to back away, but couldn't really get the necessary traction against the slick bedsheets.

The girl straightened with a laugh, then perched on the edge of Sora's bed. "Calm down, you're safe now. Remember me?"

"No?" Sora croaked. He cleared his dry throat. "I don't think we've met."

"What!" Yuffie smacked him on the arm, and he yelped. She didn't lose her smile though. "I was right there saving your ass from the Shadows!"

"The... Shadows?"

"Yeah, the explorer-type Dark Ones. They are the easiest to kill, because their carapaces are the weakest. Like, the Knights are so much more annoying."

"The Knights."

"Right. We call them that 'cause they can jump really damn far. You know, like the chess pieces."

Sora stared. His brain worked sluggishly at forming coherent thought, but the surreality of the situation made things difficult. One moment he was losing the fight for his and Cloud's lives, the next he was on a bed, in – he glanced down at himself to confirm his suspicions – clean clothes, listening to a girl talk about chess pieces.

"Where's Cloud?" Sora demanded.

The girl, Yuffie, blinked at the harsh tone. "Last I heard, he's down the hallway, in a reparation tank."

Sora had no idea what that meant. "Oh."

"We can go and see how he's doing, if you want."

"Good. Let's do that." Sora swung his legs off the bed, then got up carefully. He expected his legs to give or his head to spin, but nothing of the sort happened. He gave Yuffie and expectant look.

She grinned and pushed the curtain further to the side, revealing the rest of the room. It had two rows of hospital beds, all unoccupied and fitted with pristine – and probably white – sheets. Sora blinked at the cleanliness of it all. He slid one bare foot along the tiled floor.

"Where are we?"

"Ah." Yuffie frowned. She grabbed Sora's wrist and pulled him along. "That's a little difficult to explain."

Sora's brow furrowed. "But. You brought me here. You know where we are."

"I do. I just don't think you're ready to hear it."

They left the room and entered a hallway. It was lit by dim, reddish lights above every door. And there weren't that many doors. Yuffie walked briskly, taking turns without hesitation, obviously familiar with the place. If not for her hand on his wrist, Sora would have been walking into walls, he could see so little.

"I know this place is kinda intimidating," Yuffie said as she led Sora up a flight of stairs. "But I bet it's way better than ruins and constant danger." She flashed Sora a smile over her shoulder.

Sora smiled back uneasily. "I'm not really sure about this place being safe. I mean, you might be taking me to a torture room for all I know."

Yuffie blinked, then burst out laughing. "Wow, you're funny, kid," she said once she had caught her breath.

Sora frowned. "I'm not a kid, I'm seventeen. How much older can you be?"

"I'm twenty."

"That's not much."

"Ha. But I've spent most of my life fighting for survival. I think that gives me an advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"No time for explanations," Yuffie said happily. "We're here."

She pushed through a double door and walked into a brightly lit room. Relatively brightly lit. Had Sora not gotten used to the semi-darkness of the hallways, he'd probably call the room a bit dim. It had the look of a laboratory, with strange machines and equipment. The most conspicuous was the giant tube with a glass panel, through which most of Cloud's head and torso could be seen. He was floating in some kind of greenish liquid, and a breathing mask covered his mouth and nose. His eyes were closed.

The long haired man with glowing hands – though they weren't glowing now, at all, and were in fact acting like perfectly regular hands – was sitting at a desk to the side of Cloud's tank. He had his chin propped on a fist and was staring at the tank's occupant. Between the thumb and index finger of his other hand, he was rolling something small and round.

"Hi, Leon," Yuffie said darkly. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Leon's eyes flicked to her briefly, then rested on Sora. "Hello."

"Um, hi." Sora ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head. "I'm Sora. Is... Is Cloud okay?"

Leon shrugged and looked back to the tank. "His surgery went well, but he'll need time to recover."

"Oh. How much time?"

"A week until he can leave the tank. Another two before he'll become useful."

"Oh, what a terrible shame that is," Yuffie said icily. "See, Leon, if you just stuck with your promise you wouldn't have to wait so long."

Leon glanced at her again, face betraying no emotion. "I have promised you nothing. I was simply going with the best option available at the time."

Yuffie's expression became murderous. She stalked towards Leon, clearly intending to give him a piece of her mind.

"Give up while you're ahead," said a calm voice. Sora's eyes snapped to the other side of Cloud's tank as a silver haired boy emerged from an open doorway. "You know you won't be able to rile him up, Yuffie. He's Leon, the king of stoic."

Leon made an annoyed sound, though the corner of his mouth twitched in what was probably amusement.

"Fuck you all. I need to beat the shit out of a training dummy or something." With that, Yuffie stormed out of the room.

"Um," Sora said, unsure if he should follow. He didn't particularly want to. Yuffie's anger was intimidating.

The silver haired boy smiled at him. "Hello, I'm Riku."

"Sora. Hi."

"So _you're_ half of the reason why Leon got suspended."

Sora blinked. "Suspended?"

"Oh yes," Riku confirmed. "He's stuck here at the medical facility for as long as it'll take this Cloud person to recover. They're going to run all the tests he's behind on." Riku's grin was somewhat maniacal.

"Doesn't matter," Leon said calmly. "Being an Observer is no more useful that sitting around all day."

Riku snorted. "In your case, maybe. You clearly aren't good at it if you can't stop yourself from bringing in strays."

Leon shrugged. "I just wanted Cloud. Yuffie decided to take the other one with us."

"His name is Sora."

Leon gave Riku an unimpressed look. Riku huffed, and turned to Sora, looking him up and down. "Ignore Leon. Hm, you're pretty energetic for someone who hasn't eaten in two days."

"What?" Sora's eyes widened. "How long was I asleep?"

"About forty hours. The transition is always rough the first couple of times. Messes with your system something terrible." Riku smiled at Sora's obvious confusion. He grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him towards the door. "Come on. We'll get some food into you."

"Sora. What is this?" Leon called after them. He was holding up a small, bluish pill.

"I don't know. Why would I know?"

"It's Cloud's."

"Oh." Sora racked his brains but nothing came to mind. "Sorry. I've only known the guy for less than like half a day of awake-time."

Leon hummed and went back to ignoring them. Sora turned to Riku, who gestured towards the door.

* * *

The cafeteria was a large room with long metal tables framed by two benches each. Everything was set up with military efficiency, without a single piece of decoration. Three tall windows split the wall opposite of the entrance, currently showing nothing but darkness. To Riku's left, the wall-wide panel hiding the automatised kitchen was alight with activity, suggesting that someone had used it recently, or had chosen his meal and was waiting for it to cook.

Sure enough, Riku's gaze caught sight of two figures, seated at a table by one of the windows. Riku frowned as he recognised them. Then he sighed, deciding he might as well get Sora's introductions over with.

"What's up?" Sora asked.

His voice carried across the empty room, and the two figures at the table raised their heads.

"Oh, hey there, Riku," Axel called, waving. "Who's that with you?"

Sora tilted his head as he took in the redheads appearance. "My name is Sora. I'm, uh, new here."

"Oooh, fresh meat! Awesome!" Axel grinned and gestured to his companion. "This is Roxas, and I'm Axel. I predict we shall get along swimmingly."

Riku snorted and grabbed Sora's arm, steering him towards the kitchen panel. "Sure you will. Give us a sec to grab something to eat."

Riku opted for light food, in case Sora's stomach was out of shape. Salads and sandwiches took little time to prepare, so they waited for their trays to appear in the opening in the panel. Four trays arrived rather than two. Riku and Sora balanced two trays each, and went to sit on the opposite side of the table from Roxas and Axel.

"Thanks," Roxas said, pulling his tray to himself, and dug into his food.

"So. Sora." Axel's smile had a lot of teeth. "How do you like the facility?"

"Um." Sora took a quick bite of his sandwich, and didn't speak until he swallowed. "It's nice? From what I've seen? The dark corridors are very... disturbing. In a good way. Like a scary film."

"You are a weird kid," Axel said. He seemed pleased.

"I'm not a kid," Sora protested. "Why do you people insist on calling me a kid. You can't be much older than me."

"He's pretty old," Roxas said.

"I am not." Axel grabbed Roxas around the neck and proceeded to ruffle his hair mercilessly.

"Ack! Let go!"

"Not until you apologise."

Riku ignored them and turned to Sora. "Don't worry about them, you won't be seeing them very often."

"Why not?"

"Roxas and Axel are lucky bastards. They are Combatants, which means-"

"Oh no, stop right there!" Axel waved a hand in front of Riku's face. "You don't get to ruin our air of mystery."

Riku swatted him away, and turned to Roxas, who still had Axel's arm around his neck – and was grinning like an evil maniac. Riku said, "I think you two have a bad influence on each other."

"Nonsense," Axel said.

"We'll do a demonstration for you, Sora," Roxas said, "of just what Combatants do."

* * *

A/N: Ugh. I feel awful about updating so slowly, but I'm just really scared I'll post something that I'll want to change later. How do fanfiction authors manage this? I have this whole story plotted out and I'm still pretty sure I'm going to end up changing half of it. I don't want to write myself into a corner, and I don't want to edit chapters once I've posted them. Heeeeelp.


	4. Chew your salad

"Just tell me if it'll interfere with Relic."

Leon was perched on the heavy-duty metal table in the centre of Lab 2-A. It was the smallest among the laboratories they had gotten into working condition, just a room with three consoles, the table, a sterile chamber and a couple of cabinets used to store equipment. Currently, it was dark, illuminated only by the one active console, and the fan in the ventilation duct was wheezing pathetically, creating the sort of atmosphere appropriate for a place where mad science was happening.

The other advantage of Lab 2-A, and the reason Demyx had proclaimed it his, was its convenient location – the lab was separated from the rest of the research wing by a long corridor with doors that didn't even open.

"That's..." Demyx, seated at one of the internal system consoles, floundered for a moment, waving one arm uselessly. The other he kept close to his body, the bluish pill Leon had brought held carefully between thumb and index finger. "It's not that easy! The treatment itself is complicated enough – you realise we aren't sure how it works exactly, yeah? I know you know this. And this pill! I mean, it could be anything-"

"I'm guessing it's some sort of performance enhancer-"

"Right, but that's just a guess, and even if you're right, who knows what it's made of, it could be anything, I tell you, could be as impossible to figure out as Relic!"

"But Cloud comes from the same place as-"

"Yeah, so what? That doesn't automatically mean this pill has anything to do with the military. Could be a drug, could be his fucking hormone therapy. We. Don't. Know."

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have gone to someone else with this. Demyx was easy to intimidate into compliance, but also _nice_ and unwilling to risk causing harm, even to a stranger.

Leon had no time for this. The _human race_ didn't have time for this. "How long until you can give me an answer?"

"Haven't you been listening to my angry tirade? I don't know!"

Leon stood, hiding his amusement at the way his sudden movement made Demyx jump, and headed for the door. "Fine. Keep working on it. If you have nothing for me by morning, I'll risk the treatment. Cloud is useless to me without Relic, anyway."

"You could kill him!" Demyx yelled after him. "Damn it, Leon, just wait a bit, I'll get you the results, just-"

Leon slid two fingers across the door's panel. "I do intend to wait, as I've said." The door slid open, and Leon stepped out of the lab.

"That's not nearly enough time-"

"Whatever. Just get to it, Demyx. Anything you find will be of use, even if you find it too late."

Demyx had not time to reply before the door slid shut.

Leon slumped against, allowing himself a moment of weakness. He didn't enjoy being ruthless, especially when emotional people yelled at him for it. But he was hardly going to let what was left of his conscience stop him now. He'd atone for it, if the chance to do so ever came his way.

* * *

Roxas and Axel's excitement was contagious, and Sora found himself fidgeting in place and inhaling his food with inadvisable speed. It was a bit of shame, because the food was good, the best he'd had in weeks. But Sora had priorities.

Riku whacked him upside the head. "Chew, idiot, or you'll puke it right back out."

Mouth too full to speak, Sora settled for a "nuh-uh" and an emphatic shake of the head. Riku's eyebrow twitched, but Sora wasn't afraid of angering him. He wasn't sure why. Riku had been nothing but pleasant so far, yes, but their acquaintance amounted to about an hour. Maybe it had something to do with Riku's mild colouring. He had pale skin and pale hair, and in the strange lighting of the cafeteria, his eyes appeared grey. Pretty, though, Sora decided.

Riku grabbed his wrist, causing salad to spill from Sora's fork. "Chew, I said."

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but Axel beat him to it.

"Riku's right, you know. If you hurl, you'll have to clean up after yourself."

"But I want to see your demonstration." Sora knew he was whining. It didn't bother him any.

Roxas unhooked his teeth from where he'd bitten into an apple and chuckled. "We can't give you one at night, Sora. You wouldn't see very much."

Sora deflated. "Oh."

"Besides, you're not exactly dressed for the occasion," Riku said.

Sora frowned and looked down at himself. He was still wearing the shapeless trousers and t-shirt he had woken up in. No shoes, no underwear. That thought made him feel exposed, especially compared to the others. Riku was also wearing a t-shirt, and a tight one at that, but he had baggy trousers and boots. Axel and Roxas were dressed in almost identical sets of boots, fitting trousers and hooded coats.

"Sora, did you drop something?" Roxas asked.

Sora laughed sheepishly and emerged from under the table, where he had ducked to look at Roxas and Axel's footwear. "Sorry. Uh, are you wearing uniforms of some kind?"

Axel burst out laughing. Roxas just blinked and swallowed a bite of his apple before answering. "Yeah. We've just returned from an assignment."

"Really?" Riku leaned over the table, half-rising in his seat. "How did it go?"

"Eh, you know." Axel made a circular motion with his hand, his chuckles dying down. "It was an easy one, we didn't get much exercise. Just... It was pointless."

"Why?"

Both Axel and Roxas glanced at Sora. Sora frowned back at them. After a moment of silence, Roxas shrugged. "We came back empty handed."

"I think our intel was messed up," Axel added. "Stuff wasn't where we expected it to be, you know how it is."

"I see." Riku didn't seem surprised by this at all, but he slumped back into his seat and bit into his sandwich viciously.

Sora watched him chew for a while, his curiosity battling with his tact. Then he decided he didn't have much tact on his best days, which this day wasn't, and asked, "what are you talking about?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Axel and Roxas exchange another glance.

"Work," said Riku, with finality that Sora proceeded to ignore.

"What kind of work?"

"The kind you're not supposed to know about just yet."

"Oh." Sora pushed the salad around with his fork. His stomach was starting to feel uncomfortably full.

"You have a lot of questions, we get it," Axel said, "but you'll just have to be patient for a while. Enjoy your ignorance. Trust me, you'll miss it."

Sora pursed his lips, but decided not to argue. He was completely in the dark, after all. The only thing he knew was that he owed these people – or at least Leon and Yuffie – for saving his and Cloud's lives. They couldn't be bad if they offered him food and a safe place to stay, and Sora didn't want to act ungrateful.

He smiled. "Okay. I'll stop asking if you stop waving scraps of information at me."

"Aw, it's not that we don't want to answer your questions," Axel said. "It's all about the timing, see. And it's for your own good, I promise."

Sora shrugged. "Hey, you don't need to explain yourself. I could be out there bashing aliens with a pipe rather than here, eating real food and finally being able to talk to someone."

Axel gave Sora a strange look, and Roxas smiled slightly.

Riku stole a cherry tomato from Sora's plate. "Except you're not eating the real food."

"I guess you were right about the chewing," Sora said, patting his belly.

Riku froze. "Uh. You're not gonna puke, are you?"

"No." Sora laughed as Riku visibly relaxed. "I just need to take it easy."

"Good. I'm not really hungry, either." Riku pushed himself to his feet and stepped over the bench. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Sora looked down at his tray. "Shouldn't we...?"

"We'll take care of it, since you've been nice enough to bring ours over," Axel said.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Nice to have you with us, Sora."

Roxas nodded vigorously in agreement. "What he said. We'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Sora beamed. "Of course. You've promised me a thing."

Axel and Roxas laughed, waving goodbye. Sora followed Riku out the door.

Riku led him through a maze of dimly-lit corridors. When they finally came to a stop, Sora had no idea whether they had come up or down, or in which general direction the cafeteria was. Riku put his hand to a glass panel in the wall, and the door before them slid open to reveal a small room. There was barely enough space for a bed, a small table, and a narrow wardrobe.

Riku walked inside and opened another door. "Here's your bathroom. It has another door leading to the room next to yours, but there's no one in it, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Okay." Sora sat on the bed and bounced a little. It wasn't particularly soft, but Sora had been sleeping on cold, hard ground for weeks. He loved this bed already. "Where's your room, Riku? And how do I get from here to... well, anywhere I'm allowed to go, I guess."

"This building's layout is pretty simple once you get used to it. I'll come and get you in the morning, and then I can give you a bit of a tour."

"Oh, but-"

"Axel and Roxas will want to get some rest after their assignment. You'll be lucky to see them fi- to see their demonstration before lunch."

Sora heaved a disappointed sigh. "Damn. I wish they hadn't made me so curious."

"I don't know, it's pretty cute." Riku grinned and ruffled Sora's hair. "There are clothes in the wardrobe, but probably not your size. We'll work on that at some point."

Sora tilted his head and smiled up at the other boy. "Thanks for helping me out and keeping me company. Really."

"Nah, it's fine. I've been bored senseless until you showed up." Riku took his hand away and stuffed it into his pocket. "Get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah." Sora didn't want him to leave. He had missed simple human contact so much, and he hadn't even realised it until now. Cloud had been extremely kind, but not very talkative and seemingly uninterested in interacting with Sora beyond what was necessary to keep them both alive. That thought made Sora feel very guilty for forgetting about Cloud until now. "Hey, Riku?"

"Hmm?" Riku paused in the doorway, twisting the upper half of his body to look at Sora.

"Is Cloud going to be all right?"

Riku shrugged. "I don't see why he wouldn't be. He was torn up pretty bad, but the reparation tanks work wonders." He paused, turning to face Sora fully. "I thought you've only just met him?"

"Yeah, but he saved my life, you know? And... If he hadn't, he probably wouldn't have gotten into that fight with the aliens – he wouldn't be injured if not for-"

"Hey, stop it." Riku was in front of Sora in two strides, laying his hands on Sora's shoulders. "He did it for whatever reason without being forced, right?"

"Yes."

"So, you shouldn't blame yourself for his decision. Just say thank you when he wakes up. I'm sure he won't hold a grudge."

"Yeah," Sora breathed, then nodded for good measure. "You're right. Thank you."

Riku patted Sora's shoulders before standing. "No problem. I've gone through what you're going through, I know how confused you are right now."

"Really? Will you tell me about it?"

Riku smiled. "Sure. Some other time, though. Go to sleep." He pushed at Sora's chest playfully, and Sora went with it, sprawling on the bed.

"All right, all right, I'm sleeping." He threw an arm over his eyes to demonstrate.

Riku laughed as he walked out of the room. "I hope you have peaceful dreams," he said quietly. Then the door slid shut.

* * *

Leon wished he didn't have to wake Cloud up for this. The man wouldn't be able to put up any resistance, what with being submerged in restorative liquid and wearing a mask over most of his face. He'd be able to hear Leon, though, so Leon was going to give Cloud an explanation.

He slid the control panel open and initiated a temporary awakening. Leon only had to wait two minutes before Cloud's eyes blinked open. Then blinked some more, no doubt irritated by the liquid.

"Don't try to move," Leon said. He didn't actually need to speak out loud, Cloud wasn't hearing his voice, but he supposed it might be less confusing for the man if he saw Leon's lips form the words. "You're safe, and undergoing physical reparation. You're scheduled to leave the tank in six days."

Cloud's eyes settled on Leon's own. There was a weak frown on his face, his muscles lax thanks to the numbing properties of the liquid. Leon held his gaze and continued.

"I've woken you up to inform you that I'm about to give you treatment that will enhance your performance in combat. I don't need your consent, but I thought you should know. The treatment might kill you. If so, these are your last conscious moments."

Cloud blinked slowly, his frown etching itself deeper into his features.

"I hope that is not the case, because you are a fantastic fighter and you could make a great contribution to our cause."

The frown lessened a bit at that, but Cloud's blue-green eyes narrowed. Leon was almost sure the subtle glow in them wasn't just his imagination.

"If all goes well, I'll wake you up again in thirty four hours. And I'll explain some things." Leon reached for the control panel again and initiated sleep state. "That's all I wanted to say." He hesitated. "It was a pleasure to watch you fight."

He watched as Cloud's eyelids fluttered, the other man obviously fighting to stay conscious. Leon continued to watch for long minutes after Cloud lost to the chemicals being pumped into his bloodstream. Eventually he shook himself off, grabbed a small case from a nearby table, and extracted a pen-shaped container. Leon steeled himself, uncapped it, and slotted it into an opening in the panel.

He heard footsteps, then the door slamming open. He ignored it and pulled out the empty container before entering the code initiating the treatment and sliding the control panel shut.

"I have... results..." Demyx panted.

"Too late." Leon closed the container and put it back in its case, then turned and watched Demyx sit down, cross-legged, right there on the floor. "I've started the procedure. Keep your fingers crossed, I suppose."

"Fuck, Leon, what is wrong with you!" Demyx was so red in the face Leon worried he might faint. And then he'd have to carry the idiot to the infirmary. "It could kill him!"

Not in a thousand years would Leon admit to the spike of worry that went through him at those words. "Yeah? What have you found?"

"Not much, but I guess there's no point in stalling now," Demyx snapped. "Ugh, you're going to get it if you've just wasted a whole dose of Relic."

"What have you found, Demyx?"

"Nothing useful. The pill's composition is mostly stuff I've never seen before."

Which meant they wouldn't find out a thing until Cloud woke up, and even then they were unlikely to gather proper data. Leon nodded, satisfied. His decision had been the right one to make. "Thank you, Demyx. I'd appreciate it if you continued working on it as a side project."

Demyx grimaced and ran a shaky hand through his hair, messing up his already somewhat wilted mullet. "Xemnas is going to kill me if he finds out."

"So be discreet."

"I know, damn it, it's not that easy." Demyx slumped, resting his elbows on his knees. He smoothed out his features somewhat, but seemed unable to relax his jaw. "Are you done with your examination?"

"Almost."

"Zexion is in charge of it, right?"

"Yes." Leon wondered, sometimes, where the line between genius and stupidity lay. He suspected Demyx had found it and was only barely balancing on it. "You knew that."

Demyx grumbled something at the floor. He looked back up at Leon. "How is he?"

"Zexion?"

"No, the king of the pink pandas. Of course I meant Zexion!"

Leon blinked, then shrugged. "He's acting exactly the same way he always does."

"Of course he is, he's Zexion."

"Why did you ask, if you know the answer?"

"Ugh!" Demyx threw his hands up in frustration. "I can't deal with you!"

"The sentiment is mutual."

"Look, just – he didn't seem, like, sad or anything? Angry, maybe?"

Leon found himself actually thinking about it, much to his displeasure. "No, I haven't noticed anything amiss." He took in Demyx's miserable expression and sighed. "You should ask someone else. Yuffie, maybe. She pays attention to these things."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Just don't mention me when you do."

Demyx blinked at him, curiosity wiping away his dark mood. "Are you two fighting?"

"In a sense."

"Over what?"

"Go entertain yourself somewhere else, Demyx."

Demyx huffed. "Fine. See if I help you out the next time you come to me asking for favours." He stood, turned on his heel and slammed the door shut behind himself.

Leon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked up to Cloud's tank and stared at the man's slack features. "Don't disappoint me now," Leon murmured, pressing one hand to the glass. Then he went to look for something to occupy himself with for the next thirty hours.

* * *

A/N:

Guh. I'm not happy with this chapter, but I've promised myself I wouldn't spend too much time despairing over a fanfic I am writing for fun. (Otherwise I'd just keep editing forever.)

Also good news: I've decided to try to update weekly, on Wednesdays or Thursdays. We'll see how it goes.


	5. Outside

Riku came to get Sora in the morning like he'd promised. He also brought clothes that were closer to Sora's size than what could be found in Sora's wardrobe, and a pair of shoes. It was more of the nondescript stuff Sora had been given before, but at least he could walk without worrying that his trousers would slide down his ass any second. And even if that happened, he had underwear now.

They went to get breakfast, and Riku taught Sora how to use the digital menu in the cafeteria. Sora managed to order two surprisingly tasty, swamp green milkshakes.

"Why is this place so empty?" Sora asked as they sat down to eat.

"Most of the Combatants and Observers are out on assignments, and the research team keep crazy hours. They're kind of an antisocial bunch, too. It's no wonder Axel left."

"Oh." Sora chewed on his pancakes thoughtfully. "What about Yuffie? Is she here?"

"I have no idea. She didn't get suspended like Leon, so I don't see why she wouldn't be out on assignment."

"Sounds like you take your work really seriously here."

Riku gave Sora a strange look. "Yeah, sure. The end of the human race, right? No pressure."

"Oh." Sora felt like an idiot. "Um. So you are trying to like, prevent it?"

"Ye-eah," Riku said, drawing out the word. "Kinda. I'll explain when the time comes. Now eat your pancakes, so we can start the tour."

Sora did as asked, and soon they were walking through the endless maze of dark corridors. Riku kept pointing out doors and waving at whole sections, but Sora couldn't wrap his head around any of it. He kind of wanted to grab onto the back of Riku's shirt, so that he wouldn't get lost.

Eventually, they went up a wide, sloping corridor and emerged into a large room. Large enough to fit a battleship, Sora thought. Or a couple of houses. The ceiling was at least three floors up, and there were walkways on some sections of the walls. Sora couldn't spot a single window, but there were stripes of dim, orange lights in the floor and the ceiling.

"Whoa, where are we?"

"I don't really have a good response to that question." Riku spread his arms in a shrug. "We call this the entrance hall, but no one has a clue what it was used for."

"Um, what about the people who've built it?"

"They are long gone. Ansem, the guy who runs this place, says he doesn't know anything, either, but I think he's lying. Not that I have any way of getting him to talk." Riku shook off his frown and grabbed Sora's wrist, pulling him along the wall. "Come on, Axel and Roxas said they'd be waiting outside."

Riku came to a stop in front of a section of the wall that looked like a very complicated device. There were pipes and pumps and panels of various shapes and sizes. Riku slid one to the side and made a few swipes at the touchscreen there. The wall shifted and split, sliding away in four directions at once. Sora yelped in surprise as light assaulted his eyes. Riku laughed and pulled him outside.

Sora blinked desperately, trying to get his eyes to work properly. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was – not a single cloud in the sky, and it must have been nearing noon. Sora felt the difference in texture under his flimsy shoes and looked down, then around himself. Reddish dirt stretching as far as he could see. Not a tree in sight, just some shrubs and patches of dry grass. Rolling hills that could be dunes, though Sora hoped they weren't. He didn't much like the idea of being stuck in the middle of the desert. But something else worried him even more.

"Oh, shit. What happened to the city? Did it get bombed or something?"

Riku laughed. Once he recovered, he used another touchscreen to close the door. "No, Sora, the city's where you left it, it didn't get bombed. The Dark Ones don't really use that kind of technology."

Sora had no idea what amused Riku so much, but he felt offended nonetheless. "Yeah, they do. They had those weird, giant bulbs when they first came."

"Those were sleeping pods, for some of their more aggressive types. It's a side effect that the liquid in them is kind of corrosive."

"Huh. You know a lot about the aliens."

Riku grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. He started walking. "You would, too, if you'd gone through what I've gone through."

Sora wanted to ask. He really, really did. But he also wasn't stupid enough to pry. He'd known Riku for less than a day. They weren't friends. Yet. Sora wasn't going to ruin his chances of befriending Riku, so he said nothing, and turned his hand in Riku's grasp to mirror Riku's hold on his wrist. Riku glanced at him over his shoulder, but didn't comment.

Sora smiled to himself and turned his attention to the building they'd just emerged from. It was huge, though not very tall, four floors at most, and more or less the same colour as the dirt. Camouflaged, Sora supposed. It made sense. They rounded the corner and entered a patch of shadow. There were a few trees in sight, and some more shrubbery, surrounding a truly pathetic stream.

"Oh wow," said Sora. "This doesn't look like enough water for a huge building potentially full of people."

"Well, the building is mostly empty. And don't worry, we're getting supplies from elsewhere."

"But there are no roads, right? 'Cause we're hiding."

Riku grinned over his shoulder. "Right. Come on, there's actually a cave with a spring-"

"Hey, what's this?" a familiar voice called. A second later, Axel's hair emerged from behind a tree, followed by the rest of the man, and Roxas. "Holding hands, are we?"

Sora looked down at his and Riku's clasped hands. He gave them a swing for good measure and beamed at the newcomers. "Yep. Hi, Axel. Hi, Roxas."

"Hey, Sora."

Axel chuckled. "I'm starting to like you, kid."

Sora scowled and walked up to Axel, pulling Riku along. He jabbed a finger at Axel's chest. "Don't call me a kid. We've talked about this."

"But you are one," Axel whined, as if Sora was asking him to do something particularly unreasonable.

Sora released Riku's wrist in order to cross his arms. He huffed for good measure. "I am not. I'm practically a legal adult, my birthday is, uh." He frowned, realising he'd lost track of time during his lone trek through the ruined city. "Well, probably very soon. Anyway, I've bashed enough aliens to death to deserve a little bit of respect." He demonstrated the little part by holding his thumb and index finger close together, just short of touching.

Axel's demeanour changed from teasing to surprised. "Wait, really? You killed a Dark One?"

Sora glanced at the other two, noting that their surprise mirrored Axel's. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'm nothing like Cloud, he took on a whole group of them. But I helped, and before that I killed a few."

"Whoa," Roxas said. "You're really something."

"Uh, thanks? It wasn't very impressive. I'm not sure how I managed it, I was just trying not to die. And it's not _that_ difficult. You just need to know where to jam the sharp end of your weapon of choice."

Sora felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to look at a smiling Riku. "It's very impressive. Not a lot of people can survive a single encounter with a Dark One."

"But... I mean, I'm sure you can. And Leon didn't even have to touch that alien to kill it."

"Leon really shouldn't have done that, actually," Axel said, frowning. "But I suppose I'm glad he did. Sounds like you and that Cloud guy will be valuable additions to our ranks."

"That's Sora's decision," Riku said sharply. "And it would be perfectly all right if he chose to never fight a Dark One again."

Sora's gaze shifted between the two of them. He had no idea what was going on.

Roxas laughed at his obvious distress. "Don't worry, Sora. You'll understand quite a bit once Axel and I are done with our demonstration."

Sora lit up immediately. "Cool! When can you start?" Before Roxas could answer, though, Riku's words registered fully in Sora's mind. "Wait, wait. Riku? Does Cloud get to make that decision, too?"

Riku bit his lip, gaze shifting to the side. "I don't know. Leon seemed pretty adamant about making Cloud his partner."

Axel's eyebrows rose. "Yeah? Your Cloud must be good if Leon's willing to wait another – how long will it take, three weeks?"

Riku nodded. "Or longer, if Cloud hesitates about the treatment."

"The what?" Sora asked.

"All right!" Roxas spread his arms. "I think it's time we start the show. Axel?"

"Hell yeah!" He turned to Sora and Riku. "You can sit on that rock behind you."

Sora had questions, but Riku pulled him to the spot Axel had indicated. They sat and watched as Axel and Roxas walked about twenty metres away. They were suddenly walking with a different quality to their movements. Fluid, controlled, and something else Sora couldn't put his finger on. It could be just his own excitement making him see things.

Roxas and Axel squared off, a small distance apart, arms loose at their sides. Then something flickered by Axel's fingers, like the air over hot asphalt. Flames exploded over his hands and Sora yelped. He started to rise, but Riku held him down by the back of his shirt.

"Relax, just watch."

Sora stared as the flames turned into strange, circular, spiked weapons. His gaze shifted to Roxas just in time to see black tendrils spilling from one of his hands, and a burst of light in the other. They formed two blades of identical length, one black and one very, very bright.

"What the fuck," Sora managed.

He watched, captivated, as Axel and Roxas circled each other on light feet, weapons raised. Then Axel threw one of his weapons in a wide arch. Roxas deflected it, letting it fly past him. It didn't get very far and disintegrated in mid-air, only to reappear in Axel's hand. Just in time, too – Roxas lunged, and Axel brought both of his arms up in a block. Flames burst in a halo around the clashing blades.

"Oh, this is nothing. They're just warming up," said Riku. Sora could hear the smirk in his voice, but he refused to look away from Axel and Roxas to confirm his suspicion.

They were exchanging quick blows that barely seemed to connect, though the weapons made strange, screeching noises when they touched. It looked like Roxas was winning, forcing Axel to walk backwards in circles, not giving him enough room to take advantage of his longer reach.

"What are those things Axel is using?"

"Chakrams. They look pretty cool, right?"

Axel managed to get Roxas' blades tangled in the spikes of his chakrams a couple of times, forcing Roxas to jerk the blade free and back off to regroup. It didn't help much, as Roxas was ready to attack a split second later each time, but it gave Axel some control over the fight.

"Yeah."

"They're not very effective at close range, though. That's why Axel and Roxas make such a good team. Roxas is fast, hits hard, and isn't afraid to get close to his opponent. Axel throws his chakrams around and deals amazing damage with his fire."

"Wow." Sora watches Roxas deliver a flurry of lightning-quick slashes. Axel could only block and back away. Each time Roxas struck with the black blade, tendrils of dark smoke erupted around the clash. The bright blade flashed blindingly whenever it connected. "How are they doing this? Do they go and fight the aliens like this?"

"Ancient technology implants, and yes, they do."

"What?" Sora tore his gaze away from the sparring session to give Riku a wide-eyed stare. "Implants? What?"

Riku ran a hand through his hair, managing to do so without pushing a single strand out of place. "Hmm, well. They are kind of like microscopic robo-bugs. We call them Relic."

"What?!" Sora snapped his head around to look at Axel and Roxas again. "You mean they have mechanical bugs inside them?"

"Yes," Riku said calmly. "So do I. And Leon, and Yuffie. Every Observer and Combatant has been given the treatment."

That was so weird. But if it gave them this much power – power they desperately needed – then it couldn't be a bad thing, Sora thought. He watched as Roxas and Axel danced around each other, spilling flames, smoke, and light. Their movements were coordinated and tightly controlled. It was obvious that they were exerting a lot of effort to keep from hurting each other. When Axel was a second too slow in getting his arm out of the way, Roxas' blade dissolved into smoke and passed through without harming Axel. The flame bursts were always directed outwards, too.

"This is so awesome," Sora said. Riku was quiet, so Sora glanced at him just long enough to take in his surprised expression. "What?"

"Most people get scared first, and only then commence with the excitement."

Sora shrugged. "I guess I'm not most people. Wow, look at them go."

Roxas executed a sideways twist followed by a roll to avoid a chakram to the gut, and brought his blades up in front of his chest and back, blocking both Axel's close-range attack and the returning chakram. Sora had never witnessed anything more impressive than this.

"It's not all that great, you know," Riku murmured. "Many Combatants still get killed."

Sora blinked. "Well, that's to be expected if they're fighting the aliens."

"Yeah, but it's not just the Dark Ones that are a danger to them. To us."

Sora turned to face Riku once more, frowning. "What else could be a problem? People with guns?"

Riku chuckled quietly. "That, too, though we don't encounter many. But the biggest risk is Relic itself."

"What do you mean?" Riku's eyes were obscured by his bangs, so Sora couldn't read his expression.

"I mean that, if you're not careful, if you channel too much power or keep fighting for too long, the microscopic bugs eat you from the inside out."

* * *

A/N:

To all the wonderful people who have left a review, added this story to their favourites or decided to follow it: THANK YOU. SO MUCH.

It means a lot to me, and makes me super excited about writing. This is the first time I've gotten real feedback on a story, and I love it. I love writing not only for myself, but also for others' enjoyment. Thank you all, and Happy Holidays!


	6. Relic

Sora's eyes were as round as Axel's chakrams.

Riku laughed. "Don't look so scared. It's not like we fall over dead left and right because we've been using our abilities a second too long. We get some warning, and sometimes Relic will shut us down before we cross the line."

"What."

"So if there's ever a fight and I suddenly fall over, I'm as likely to be unconscious as I am to be dead." Riku's tilted his head in consideration. "Axel was part of the research team for quite a while, he can explain."

"Yeah, no," said the redhead. "I used to do the hands-on stuff. I cut people up."

Riku turned to face him and Roxas as they approached. "Done already?"

"_Well._ We noticed that you weren't exactly paying attention."

"Gah! Sorry." Sora was the picture of remorse. "You went to all this effort for my sake and I just went and got distracted."

Axel blinked down at him, then barked a short laugh. "Nah, it's fine. We'd be doing this anyway, we spar every day."

"You just looked really horrified," Roxas added.

Axel nodded in agreement. "Riku told you about Relic, huh?"

"Yeah." Sora squirmed on the rock and crossed his arms. "It sounds pretty awful. And you need to get cut up for it?"

"Huh? Oh, no, no." Axel waved his hands. Riku and Roxas ducked. "That was before they figured out how to do it through reparation tanks. Now it's painless. Well. Mostly painless."

"It's the only reason why this chickenshit went through with it," Roxas said, jabbing Axel's arm with a finger.

"Hey! It's not like you and Riku are any better."

"There are actually very few of those who'd gone through the original treatment left," Riku said. "It was much less stable back them, and people were either dying or going insane."

"Wow." Sora looked at him with huge eyes. "That's amazing. I mean, they were risking so much to fight back against the aliens, right?"

Riku shook his head with a chuckle. Sora was definitely a curious one. "That's one way to look at it. Actually, Axel and Roxas aren't that much better off."

"What do you mean?"

"We're not talking about that," Axel said. He was smiling, but the look in his eyes held a clear warning.

Riku inclined his head. He wasn't out to cause any friction. "Suffice it to say that they've been Combatans for a long time, and that they started out when the new procedure wasn't entirely stable."

Sora nodded slowly. "What about you?"

"Oh, I've only been here for... three weeks? Yeah, that's about right. The treatment takes a while to get used to, so I mostly just train and go through medical tests." Not that Riku minded. He wasn't too eager to go out and fight just yet. Not that he could, without a partner. But his job was important, too. "And I'm an Observer since – four days ago. I've been out exactly twice."

He supposed Yuffie was free now that Leon didn't want her, but Riku didn't get along with her that well. He'd just have to wait and see how Sora turned out. If Sora decided to accept the treatment, of course.

"So you can do what Axel and Roxas can?" Sora asked. "With the fire and the disappearing weapons?"

Riku smirked. "Not quite. I have my own way of doing things."

"Come on Riku. Show Sora what you can do." Axel grinned, swinging one chakram by his side idly.

Riku wasn't all too thrilled at the idea. "But what I do isn't very flashy."

"Don't be a wuss," Roxas said with a challenging smile, brandishing his two blades. "Or are you worried I'll kick your ass so bad you'll be too ashamed to ever look Sora in the eye again?"

Riku knew perfectly well that Roxas was baiting him, but really, there was no harm in rising up to the challenge. He stood with an exaggerated sigh and dusted off his trousers. "You're so desperate for a beating, aren't you?"

Roxas' smile grew teeth and he just shifted his blades wordlessly. Riku shot a reassuring look at Sora over his shoulder, but the boy seemed eager rather than worried. He gave Riku a thumbs up.

Axel sat down on the rock next to Sora and threw an arm over his shoulders. "I'll stay here and explain it all to you, new kid. Riku fighting really is a boring sight without a commentator."

"I'll decide that for myself," said Sora.

Riku couldn't back out of the fight if he wanted to after hearing that. He nodded to Roxas and they squared off. Riku arranged himself into his favourite guard, right arm pulled back high, left arm extended in front of him. He'd never told anyone about this, but the gesture helped him visualise his Relic spreading like a cloud around him, from a point under his left palm. His blade came to his hand easily and he gripped it securely, revelling in the familiar weight. It hadn't been long, but his Relic already felt like an old friend to Riku.

Roxas, who more or less knew what Riku's abilities amounted to, apparently decided not to give him time to take in the surroundings properly. He charged, blades held low. Riku could feel Roxas' Relic insinuate itself into his space, making the air thick as molasses.

Riku closed his eyes, blacking out everything except for what was within his Relic's range. Roxas, the expanse of dirt around them, the closest wall of Hollow Bastion, the slight breeze, every nearby shrub – all of it burned like the brightest light across Riku's senses. He was aware of every grain of dirt, of the tiniest shift of Roxas' muscles, his breathing, the weight of his steps. Riku took it all in, and he was ready when Roxas came at him with his customary flair.

* * *

"Whoa." Sora watched as Riku brought his blade up to block both of Roxas' and stepped to the side, letting Roxas' momentum carry him a few more steps. Roxas was quick to turn and deliver a series of low slashes, but Riku gave him no ground, parrying every blow.

"Roxas can slow his opponent's movements by thickening the air around them, sort of," Axel explained. "Plus he's really fast in his own right. So Riku is really the perfect sparring partner for him, because Riku's fighting style is all about economy of effort, you know?"

"I get it," Sora said, nodding, and he was pretty sure that he did. "But is Riku doing anything?"

"Well, yeah. See his eyes?"

Sora squinted, leaning forward. He gasped when he noticed. "They're closed!"

"Yup. Riku can spread his Relic around him – we call the tiny bugs that, did he say? – and feel out his surroundings. It's like a sixth sense." Axel whistled as Riku parried a kick followed by a series of rapid slashes. "He's getting really good at it."

Sora had to grab onto the rock with both hands to stay sitting. This was amazing. Both Riku and Roxas were pulling moves that didn't seem physically possible, and it looked like such great fun. Roxas was definitely smirking, and Riku had an air of satisfaction and challenge about him, like this was his favourite sport. Sora felt like cheering him on, but that would probably be a distraction. He didn't want to make Riku lose.

"Wow," Sora said. "I wish I could do things like that."

"We-ell," Axel drawled. "It's not impossible for you."

Sora's head swivelled towards him, though tearing his eyes away from the sparring session was not easy. "You mean I could just... get this Relic thing?"

"That's usually what happens to the people we bring here, these days." Axel nodded. "But. From what I've heard, you aren't supposed to be here."

"Oh." Sora's excitement faded. He remembered what Leon had said. It hadn't been that long ago. "That's right. Not that I have any idea where 'here' is, you know."

"All in good time," Axel said, patting him on the back with enough force that Sora had to plant his feet on the ground or he'd fall right off the rock.

"Oof. Get away from me, you giant." Sora laughed, batting Axel's hand away. He turned his eyes back to Riku and Roxas' fight and sighed wistfully. "Oh well. I guess I'll never get to be as cool as you guys."

"Hey, I said it's doable. All you have to do is pass a bunch of tests."

"Really?" Sora pursed his lips, but kept watching the fight. It looked to him like Riku should be losing, considering Roxas' relentless assault, but Riku held his ground and pushed back patiently, getting under Roxas' guard with increasing frequency. "Are these tests hard to pass?"

Axel hummed thoughtfully. "I honestly can't say. They've changed the procedure since I got Relic, so I'm not familiar with the tests. You'll have to ask Riku."

"Oh, okay."

Axel leaned forward suddenly. "Ooh, look. Roxas just got serious."

Sora noticed the change as well. Up to this point, he thought Riku was going to win simply by tiring Roxas out. But it seemed like Roxas knew his limits and was going to turn the tables on Riku before he lost steam. Now each of his moves had obvious intent behind it – he wasn't out to knock Riku over, but to confuse him. His blows were lighter and quicker, and he kept backing away when he could have pressed on.

Riku wasn't unaffected. His movements became jerky, and his breathing grew heavier. He yelled something that sounded like a curse when one of Roxas' blades went through his leg, right under the knee.

Sora started to rise, but Axel held him back. "Relax, it just phased through. Hurts kind of a lot, but only for a moment."

Sora wasn't entirely happy with that, but stayed put. He gasped as Roxas zigzagged across the field towards Riku, blades held low again, and kicking up dust. The air around him glittered with tiny flakes of light.

"What's he doing?"

"Disrupting Riku's Relic," Axel replied, sounding surprised. "He doesn't need to do it to win. I guess he's just showing off."

If that was what Roxas was doing, his efforts were wasted. Roxas was so fast Sora was sure he was missing half of Roxas' moves. The glittering effect _was_ rather pretty, though.

Roxas came at Riku from the side with both blades. Riku parried, and barely managed to turn around to meet Roxas' next blow. Roxas delivered three more broad swings before he got enough of an opening to kick Riku in the chest and send him sprawling. Riku grunted loudly, and his blade evaporated from his hand. He opened his eyes to blink up at the sky.

Roxas let go of his blades. They disappeared before they hit the ground, and Roxas gave Riku a hand up. They exchanged quiet words, laughed, and made their way back to where Axel and Sora were sitting.

"Riku! That was amazing!" Sora called, standing a little unsteadily. His body was thrumming with adrenaline, and he couldn't believe the fight was over so quickly. But it had to have been the best thing he'd ever witnessed. "You almost got him."

"Nah. I didn't really stand a chance. It just looked like I did because Roxas gave himself a handicap."

Sora blinked. "A handicap?"

Riku plopped onto the ground next to the rock and rolled his neck. "Mhmm. He ignored a few openings to keep the fight going."

"That's because," Roxas said, panting, "sparring with you is the best workout."

"Aw, I'm hurt, Roxas," Axel said.

"You don't get to complain, lazy ass."

"It's not my fault that you don't like my fighting style."

"I like it all right, it's saved my hide like a hundred times." Roxas punched Axel's arm playfully. "But you suck in close range and that's what I want to work on."

Axel gasped in outrage. "I do not suck! I'm at the very least decent at it!"

"Sure, sure, whatever you want to tell yourself." Roxas went over to the stream to splash his face.

Riku looked like he thought that was a great idea, but was too lazy to get up and actually do it. Sora laughed, and shook his head when Riku gave him a questioning look.

"So," Axel said. "Sora wants to have Relic, too."

Sora's eyes widened. "Um."

"Hey, that's awesome." Riku grinned wide. "You'll have no trouble with the tests if you can kill a Dark One all by yourself."

"Oh." Sora felt heat rising to his cheeks, which was enough of a surprise that it killed most of his embarrassment. He laughed. "That's... I hope you're right. Your fight was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I want to try something like that, too."

Riku beamed, but Axel made a disgruntled face. "Hey, you mean _my_ fight wasn't as impressive?"

"Um." Sora scratched the back of his head and smiled innocently. "Well. I think I'm more interested in close range combat. Sorry."

"Ha!" Roxas exclaimed. He returned from the stream and sat cross-legged with his back to the rock. "I told you my methods are superior. I guess that's another point for me."

Axel pushed him with a booted foot until Roxas had to catch himself on one arm. "No fair. Why does no one appreciate me?"

"Sora, has Axel explained Relic to you?" Riku asked.

Sora thought about it. He nodded. "Yeah. But I still have questions."

"Okay, shoot," Axel said.

"Right, so... That thing Leon did – the light and the cold...?"

"Which he really shouldn't have done," Axel said, frowning. All of them seemed so unhappy about Leon breaking a rule. "But yeah, his Relic is temperature-based, I think?"

"I'm pretty sure that's it," Roxas confirmed. "He never spars with us, so we don't really know much."

"Why is what he did such a bad thing?" Sora felt that saving him and Cloud should have been worth a bit of risk. It hurt a little to hear Axel say that Sora's rescue shouldn't have happened.

"It's just a rule we have," said Riku, playing with a small patch of dry grass. "Combatants always work in teams of two – used to be three, but that's rare nowadays – and those without a partner are called Observers. We're not supposed to engage the Dark Ones under any circumstances."

"But..." Sora waved an arm, trying to indicate his general bafflement. "He took that alien down like it was nothing."

"The Dark Ones aren't the problem. Leon could take on an officer-type, easy. It's Relic." Riku turned narrowed eyes to Axel. "You didn't tell him?"

"The whole killing yourself using your magic thing?" Sora asked. "You told me about that, Riku."

"But I meant to explain further," Axel said. "See, the only way we know how to... keep Relic in check is to work with a bonded partner and have their Relic balance out yours."

Roxas shook his head. "It's not as simple as he makes it sound. Bonding itself takes a lot of time, and it's very important to trust your partner, or else you might as well not bother getting one."

"Right." Sora frowned, trying to understand. "How does it work, exactly?"

"No one knows." Riku chuckled at Sora's disbelieving look. "Well, we know some things. Bonding happens when you spend a lot of time together and consciously tune into each other's Relic. The Relic will then gain the ability to, hmm, absorb stress from each other."

"Yeah, basically," Roxas confirmed.

Sora had no idea what to think. It all sounded incomprehensible to him. "Wow, Riku, you sure know a lot. And you've been here three weeks?"

"I'm not the best authority on this subject, believe me."

Sora blinked at him in surprise. "Does that mean you don't have a partner yet?"

"Yeah? That's why I'm an Observer and not a Combatant, idiot."

Sora kicked him in the knee lightly, but otherwise decided to let the insult slide. "Hmm. Why don't you get one, then?"

Riku shrugged. "No one was really available until yesterday, when Leon announced he didn't want to bond with Yuffie after all."

"Oh. So you'll bond with her now?"

"I don't know." Riku picked at the grass again, watching as the dry leaves crumbled under his touch. "I don't think we're a good match. Yuffie's great, but our fighting styles don't balance out and... she's just so pushy."

Roxas smirked. "Are you worried that she'd boss you around?"

"No," Riku said, scowling. "I mean that I probably wouldn't be able to work well with her."

"How about if I got the treatment?" Sora asked, mostly joking.

Riku grinned up at him. "Oh, I don't know. We've met yesterday, Sora, it's a little early for such a commitment."

"What? That wasn't a marriage proposal, you know."

"Same difference," Axel said, waving a hand. "Once you're bonded, you're basically stuck together forever."

Sora boggled. "What? What do you mean, forever?"

"Well," Axel shot Roxas a glance, then tilted his head back to look at the sky. "'Forever' is not the best term, I guess. Our life expectancy isn't that great, what with the war."

"War?" Sora was feeling more and more lost with every passing minute. "You mean with the aliens?"

"Yeah. Combatants go out and die, just like that. Roxas and I have been lucky."

"How long have you been doing this?"

Axel closed his eyes and frowned in thought. "Uh, is it two years already?"

"In a few days, actually," Roxas said. "We're one of the oldest surviving teams."

"Wow." Sora stared at the ground. Two years was a long time to survive?

"That's why you should think long and hard before you decide to get the treatment," Riku said. "The war, it's... not going very well."

Sora raised his eyebrows at him. "I know. I'm from Midgar, remember? Nothing's left of the city, as far as I know."

Riku looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Right. There's a little more to it than that, but – one thing at a time."

"What Riku is trying to say," Roxas interjected, "is that we're losing the war, and we don't have that many doses of Relic left. We can't reproduce it, because all documentation has been lost."

"The research guys are working on it," Axel said. "But they aren't very optimistic."

"Yeah." Riku wiped his hand on his trouser leg, then combed his fingers though his bangs. "So, we might be wasting our time."

"We're not," Roxas said firmly. "We're the only ones making any kind of difference. It's not pointless."

Riku blinked at him, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I guess it's just hard for me to be optimistic. I haven't contributed very much so far."

"Yes you have." Axel kicked Riku's foot. "You're a somewhat competent Observer."

Riku laughed and got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Thanks, I feel so much better now. But speaking of which, we need to go to the debriefing."

"It's that time already?" Roxas pulled out what looked like a particularly flat cell phone from his pocket and tapped it a few times. "Huh. Okay, let's go." He looked at Sora. "Want me to take you to your room?"

Sora thought about it. His room was tiny and boring, and the endless corridors beyond it were hardly any better. "Nah. Can I stay here?"

The other three exchanged hesitant glances. "If you promise not to go far from here and lose sight of the door," Riku said eventually.

"Does he even know how to open it?" Axel asked.

"He can figure it out."

Sora was a little warmed by Riku's apparent confidence in his ability to take care of himself. Even if it was rude of them to talk about him as if Sora weren't there. "I'll be good, I promise."

"We can check on him through the surveillance system," Roxas reasoned. "It's safe here."

"All right." Axel shrugged, and started walking, Roxas close at his heels.

Riku put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Think about what we've told you, but don't rush with making a decision."

"Okay." Sora gave him a wide smile. "I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do already, but I'll think about it."

"Good. I'll see you later today, hopefully." Riku patted Sora's shoulder, and left.

Sora idled on the rock for a while, doing the promised thinking now to get it out of the way. Once he came to the same conclusion as before, he nodded to himself in satisfaction, and went about exploring the creek, and the shallow cave with the spring. He climbed a tree to get a better look at his surroundings. There was nothing but the building on one side, and rocks, dirt and some shrubs on the other. Boring. But at least Sora knew not to expect any excitement from the outdoors now.

He went to the door and spent almost an hour trying to figure out how to open it. He couldn't read any of the signs that appeared on the control panel, so Sora kept tapping at random buttons, trying to replicate what he'd seen Riku do when they exited the building. When the door finally slid open, he was so surprised he almost didn't manage to slip inside before they closed again.

* * *

A/N:

Happy New Year!

I meant to post this chapter earlier, but editing took longer than expected. I'm having trouble keeping everything in the right order, since I have a buffer of about seven chapters and every time I go back for editing, I lose track of what I've already spilled and what still needs an explanation. But having the option of adjusting earlier chapters according to what happens later is totally worth it.


	7. Leadership

The briefing was about as boring as Leon had expected it to be. No one seemed to have noticed the missing Relic dose, which Leon was glad for. He didn't want to deal with that mess until he knew whether Cloud would live or not, and had a very solid argument at his side. None of the issues discussed concerned him, though he remained attentive. Leon wasn't sure why he needed to be here at all. It wasn't like he could receive an assignment, and there was precious little for him to do in Hollow Bastion. Unless another evacuation was in order. Leon hoped that wasn't the case, and not only because it would mean that another world was lost to them.

"We have been unable to initiate dialogue," Saix reported. He was the research team member most loyal to Xemnas, and so he got to sit in on most meetings. "But I uphold my earlier statement. The Dark Ones are perfectly capable of understanding human speech. They must be very intelligent as well, since they have ignored some of our more obvious attempts at prompting a reaction from them."

Xemnas laid a hand on Saix's shoulder. "I support Saix's claim, this time. The results couldn't be any less vague."

"Any Observer who's been out on more than three missions would have been able to tell you that, but okay, have your great discovery," Yuffie said.

"Perhaps," Ansem allowed, from his seat at the head of the table. "But we had to be absolutely certain. This is an important step towards full understanding of the nature of the Dark Ones."

"That's fantastic." Yuffie propped her chin on a hand, grinning. "I am extremely glad to be aware of this bit of useless knowledge-"

"Yuffie, enough." Leon didn't raise his voice, but he put enough weight into it to let her know she was out of line.

Yuffie huffed and settled back in her chair, crossing her arms. "_Fine._"

Ansem twined his fingers in front of his mouth and fixed Leon with a look. "You are certainly talented at keeping the young ones in line, Leon."

Leon heard Riku snort at the far end of the table. He was tempted to do the same – what Ansem was really saying, and what everyone no doubt understood, was that Leon would make for a good successor. If only Ansem's position was even remotely enviable.

"Thank you, sir. I take such joy in keeping a leash on squabbling children," Leon said, tone flat.

He knew very well that Ansem had kept him from becoming a Combatant for so long in hopes of passing on the leadership to Leon. Which was probably smart – there was no one else who could take the role, at least no one who wasn't on the research team, and _they_ weren't allowed any more power – but Leon considered it rather pointless. There would be no need for a leader if all of them were soon going to be dead.

"I'm happy for you," said Ansem. "Now before we finish, it is time to give out assignments." Ansem held up a set of files. He handed one to Larxene and Marluxia, one to Axel and Roxas, and one each to Riku and Yuffie. Then two more to Xemnas. "For your and your teams' eyes only."

"Of course," Xemnas said.

Leon was surprised that Axel and Roxas received another assignment so soon after returning from their last one. "Are we preparing for evacuation?" he guessed.

Ansem inclined his head. "Yes. I would like you to muster the resident staff and take care of this side of the operation. Here are the estimated numbers."

Leon opened the file handed to him, scanning through it quickly. The deadline was close, but the number of new arrivals- "That's not many." Still too many for Hollow Bastion to accommodate comfortably, but they could manage them in only six or seven stages, even if it was a risk. But it was only a tiny fraction of a world's population.

"It's too late to save any more. According to Roxas and Axel's reports, they're so overrun we won't be able to transport any more with just four teams."

"We could have grabbed a few on our way back," Axel muttered.

"Not without risking the outcome of the main operation," Ansem said calmly.

Leon read further into his file, rubbing two fingers over his mouth. He didn't like this. Four teams out meant defence would be thinly spread, and any number of things could go wrong during an evacuation. "Do I have permission to seal off the research wing and the occupied quarters?"

"Certainly. Just talk to the technicians well in advance." At Leon's nod, Ansem turned to the rest of the gathered. "Any other questions?"

Four teams out also meant that the operation required a lot of firepower. Leon didn't ask.

"Can't we go back early and join Leon's team?" Yuffie asked.

"No, Yuffie. You and Riku need to stay behind and do your job as Observers."

"But-"

"Don't, Yuffie," Leon said, feeling tired all of a sudden.

"No more questions?" When no one said anything, Ansem stood. "Then this meeting is over. I will see you again before you depart."

Everyone else stood as well. Leon caught Xemnas' eye and made his way over to him and Saix. Xemnas motioned Leon to accompany them as they moved out of the meeting room.

"I need to know who'll be left to defend the base," Leon said.

Xemnas frowned in thought. "I'm not certain yet, but most likely I will send out Xigbar, Luxord, Zexion an Lexeus."

Leon had expected as much. He nodded. "Thank you. If you need anything, I'm always on call." He tapped the tablet in his pocket.

Xemnas ran a hand through his hair. "I don't like this. We're taking a huge risk."

"I agree. Ansem is either getting sentimental, or desperate."

Saix snorted. "I say it's both."

"Perhaps you should reconsider his offer." Xemnas' eyes were sharp, though his expression remained neutral.

Leon liked Xemnas enough to offer a shrug. "I don't think it's a good idea, unless you want your leader to constantly be out there, seconds away from probable death."

"I wouldn't mind," Saix said.

"Your apparent lack of concern about the end of the world as we know it worries me," Leon told him.

"Leon," Riku called after them.

Xemnas and Saix murmured their goodbyes and left, heading in the direction of the research section. Leon turned around to watch Riku, Axel and Roxas approach. Roxas was tapping at his tablet with an intent expression on his face.

"Leon, I need a favour," Riku said.

"I'm listening." Leon was curious. He hadn't really had a chance to interact with Riku so far, and he liked to have at least base knowledge about the people he worked with.

"Remember Sora? He's-"

"Made it inside," Roxas said, not looking up from his tablet. "And he looks lost."

Leon blinked. "You left him outside by himself?"

"Yeah, and he hasn't run or killed himself tripping over a rock," Roxas muttered. "He's not a child."

"He's a year older than you, actually," Riku informed him, making Roxas gasp in surprise.

"_No._"

"What's the favour?" Leon cut in. He had an evacuation to organise.

"Right. Just. Give him something to do. I'm sure he'd prefer manual labour to wandering the corridors all on his own."

Leon tilted his head slightly in thought. He liked the idea, actually. It would give him both the opportunity to question Sora about his and Cloud's background, and an extra pair of hands.

"All right, I'll keep him occupied."

Riku smiled in relief. "Thanks, Leon." He hesitated, shifting his weight from foot to foot, before adding, "he's thinking about the treatment, so he might want to talk about it. Don't... sway him one way or another, okay?"

Leon gave him a pointed look.

"Right, right, it's not like you to do something like that, I guess." Riku raised his hands in placation and backed away after Roxas and Axel. "Uh, have fun getting this place in order. Bye."

Leon waved a little, keeping his face blank. He headed for the mechanic's workshop, hoping to enlist the help of someone capable.

"Leon," called a deep, authoritative voice. Leon stopped with a sigh and waited for Ansem to catch up. The man put a hand on Leon's shoulder when he was within reach. They resumed walking. "I want to once again ask you to reconsider."

"Just nominate Xemnas and be done with it." Leon disliked the idea as much as Ansem did, but it was either that or him.

"I can't, and you know it. I don't want it to be someone from the research team, just as I don't want it to be one of the Combatants."

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. "If our best fighter wasn't dead-"

"Missing, assumed dead," Ansem interjected.

"Whatever. If he wasn't gone, I might have considered your proposition. But now that there's barely enough of us left to operate, I don't think leadership should be our biggest concern."

"We have two active teams, and Riku and Yuffie will be able to bond soon-"

"They won't if they can help it, and you know it's for the best. Two teams are nothing, Ansem." Leon spread his arms, but kept his face free of expression. "They could be wiped out in a day, today. And what then? Do we stay holed up in Hollow Bastion and guard the researchers while humanity chokes on its last breath?"

"We've only recently shifted focus to recruitment."

"Yes, but we can't recruit corpses."

"You've managed to recruit someone who was nearly a corpse at the time." Ansem's eyes danced with amusement.

"Because we can't keep wasting Relic on mediocre operatives who will die in their first month."

Ansem was silent for a moment, looking at the floor as they walked. Leon wasn't sure where they were headed. It was entirely possible that Ansem was ignoring their tight schedule in favour of getting lost in his own headquarters.

"Leon, do you believe we can win this war? Truly?" There was something like desperate hope in Ansem's eyes, but also something like insanity.

"Yes," Leon said immediately. "I do."

"I wonder how you can lie to yourself so well."

"It's not a lie. We can win. It's just very unlikely."

"Hmm." Ansem clasped his hands behind his back. "What would you consider a 'victory'?"

"Removing the Dark Ones from existence, or taking away their ability to reach different worlds."

Ansem laughed, short and brittle. "Survival is not enough for you, I suppose?"

"Is it enough for you? We're surviving right now. We could stop saving people and focus on gathering potential fighters." Leon shrugged. "And instead you make us go out there and try to make a difference."

"I question my decisions every day."

"Good. That makes you human, and a leader worth following." They needed Ansem because he made them a powerful organisation with a common goal. Without him, they'd be a bunch of people huddling away in a giant metal box which none of them considered truly safe.

"I never wanted this kind of responsibility," Ansem said in a heavy voice.

Leon could sympathise, but he refused to do it. "Killing yourself would equal signing humanity's death sentence. With a pretty flourish."

Ansem's head snapped around to stare at Leon with wide, frightened eyes. "How...?"

"I'd consider it if I were in your place," Leon answered honestly. "I wouldn't do it, but I'd think about it."

"I..." Ansem swallowed, bowing his head in embarrassment. "I promise you, I would never-"

"It's fine." Leon hesitated, then pressed a hand to Ansem's shoulder, briefly. "You _are_ only human."

The corner of Ansem's mouth twitched. "Don't say that to all those young people looking at me with eyes full of awe."

"Never. I'm not in the habit of disenchanting children."

"Children, yes. Some of them are far too young."

"It's not something you could have helped." Leon clapped Ansem's shoulder once more. "You are a good leader, don't forget it. And if you ever need support, you know where to find me."

"Unless you decide to get yourself killed."

"I thought we've established that neither of us is allowed to commit suicide."

"Let it be a promise, then." Ansem smiled. "Whatever happens, the two of us will go down with this ship."

"Fine by me." Nothing would be left once that happened, anyway.

Ansem laughed and said goodbye, before heading in the general direction of his office, a spring in his step. There were many sleepless night ahead of him, Leon knew. In the next week, Combatants and Observers alike would come and go, leaving reports and bringing bad news. If one of them died, the fallout would be catastrophic. And then there were all the preparations Leon would need to conduct and report on.

No time for dark thoughts, Leon decided. He had work to do.

He went to the mechanics' quarters to grab Cid first, since it was on the way. The older man grumbled and huffed a bit, but agreed to help with the preparations. He barked brief orders at his technicians and told them to spread the word. Leon had already sent his instructions to Aerith, so all that was left was to find Sora and get to work.

They found the boy stumbling in the dark, zigzagging from wall to wall as he followed the light above the evenly spaced doors.

"That the kid?" Cid asked around his toothpick. Cigarettes were not allowed on base.

Leon nodded. "Sora."

The boy's head turned a few times before his gaze settled on them. He seemed relieved. "Oh, hey! I'm so glad I've found you. This place is huge, and so dark."

"Wrong," said Cid. "We've found _you_. And one would think your eyes would have gotten used to the terrible lighting, kiddo."

Sorra shrugged as he came to a stop before them. "Guess I shouldn't have been staring at the lights."

Cid snorted. "What an astute observation." He stuck out his hand, and Sora shook it. "I'm Cid."

"Sora. Nice to meet you."

"We have work for you," Leon said, not bothering with greetings.

"What?" Sora looked uneasy. "I mean, okay, I know I should earn my keep, but – what kind of work?"

Cid shook his head with a smile. "Relax, kid. Just some heavy lifting, running a couple of errands."

"Oh." Sora relaxed and cracked a big smile. "That sounds refreshing. When do we start?"

Cid looked at Leon, who shifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Now. We'll start with preparing the infirmary."

"You expect a lot of injuries?" Cid asked.

"I expect we're not going to save everyone we've set out to save, yes."

"Hm."

Sora blinked his big blue eyes up at them. "Uh, what the hell? Are you really calmly talking about a whole lot of casualties?"

Cid patted the kid's hair, hard enough to make him bow his head. "We're just used to it, kid."

"Sora."

"Right. You'll get used to it, too."

Sora's mouth was set in a firm line. "No, I won't."

Cid clenched his teeth on his toothpick and sighed. It was moments like this that he looked his oldest, Leon reflected. "I hope you're right, kid. I really do."

* * *

A/N:

I'm not happy with this chapter, but school's getting busy so I don't have the time to fix it. I really want to get to the part that's not just people talking, haha. (Soon, I promise.)


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